HERMITAGE, Pa. - The Catholic Diocese Erie is intervening to help Mercer County’s Kennedy Catholic High and Middle Schools recover from what Bishop Lawrence Persico characterizes as a “vulnerable position”.

In a letter to the Shenango Valley Catholic School System community, Bishop Persico responded recent resignations of the school’s acting president, board chair and several directors.

The Diocese announced that as of this week, Dr. Eric Perry has been reinstated as Board Treasurer, and named four new board directors.

George Becker, Dr. Randy Hofius, Angela Surano and Patrick Zoccole will join Candice Bartosh, Fr. David Foradori, Dr. Karen lonta, Gene Sheehan, Richard Whalen, Fr. Thomas Whitman and Deanna Yarboro-Brown on the board.

It was in early July that the board announced the schools had been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that they were facing a significant budget shortfall.

To resolve the shortfall, the bishop said that the schools would have to raise $400,000 within a month, and another $400,000 by the end of this year.

Less than three weeks later, the board announced the community and donors had exceeded the July goal, raising $484,000. 

As of mid-November, through donations, bingo, car washes, and other events, the schools announced it had raised $693,000 of the $800,000 goal.

While acknowledging the effort by the schools to reach fundraising goals, Bishop Persico, diocesan administrators and the Catholic Schools Office expressed awareness of the significant challenges the Shenango Valley School System continues to face.

The letter expressed confidence that the board directors, several of whom have backgrounds in finance and small business, are the best chance for the SVCSS to remain viable.

“Appointing new directors is necessary when time is so short,” said the bishop in the letter.

In addition to raising the $800,000, the Diocese outlined what it calls “Urgent Performance Indicators” for the board to reach by January 27, 2023.

• Obtain full board participation in training sessions
• Institute protocols and procedures for board meetings
• Establish and appoint members to the Executive, Finance, Mission Enhancement, Policy and Planning and Advancement committees
• Provide transparency and regular communications to all stakeholders
• Present a preliminary budget for the 2023-2024 school year

If the board is successful in completing the tasks by the deadline, the Diocese will instruct the board to implement a new set of strategic performance indicators by March 7, 2023. These include a plan to hire a president, manage the system's finances, stabilize enrollment, develop a sustainable fundraising plan and present updated projections to the 2023-24 budget.